


Getting Away

by PattRose



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Angst, Happy Ending, M/M, Misunderstandings, goofy fun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-09
Updated: 2013-08-09
Packaged: 2017-12-22 21:41:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/918342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PattRose/pseuds/PattRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jim and Blair get away for a change, but do they really?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Getting Away

Getting Away - Patt

Jim and Blair sat at their desks in the bullpen finishing up the paperwork for the Benini case. It had been a long three months of trying to catch this criminal and they finally got him. Everyone was going to go out that night to Sullivan’s Pub for a drink to celebrate. Jim found himself smiling at the thought of being able to relax and be with their friends once again. This had, indeed, been a really long three months. 

At 5:00, everyone got ready to go, and would meet up at Sullivan’s. Blair was excited to see his friends outside of work. They all needed the down time and Blair knew that Jim needed it more than anyone else. His senses had been put through the wringer lately. 

Everyone arrived at Sullivan’s and got a huge table and began to order drinks. Jim turned to Blair and said, “I’ll be the designated driver tonight. You go ahead and have fun.” 

But Blair was hearing none of it as he patted Jim’s arm. “No way, man. You’re going to relax and have some beers. Got it?” 

Everyone laughed at how Blair was bossing his larger partner around, but they all knew that Jim actually liked it most of the time. “Sure, that sounds good, Chief. Thank you.” 

Jim ordered a beer and an iced tea for Blair when the waitress came to the table. 

“Hey Sandy, can I ride with you and Jim?” Conner asked as she readied to order a beer. 

Blair smiled and said, “Sure, no problem. We’ll drop you off on our way home.” 

The evening was going well, everyone was talking, laughing and having a great time. Simon was sitting by Jim and he said, “Ellison, I wanted you to know that I appreciate you and Sandburg putting in all of the extra hours for the last three months so I want you and Sandburg to have the first week off. Everyone will take turns until you all get rested up.” 

“We get a week off? I can’t wait, we’ll go camping. Hey Chief, we have next week off, where would you like to go?” Jim asked as he smiled at his lover. 

“I can’t wait to go camping. We bought a new three room tent; it’ll be like having the loft with us.” Everyone at the table started to laugh. 

They all began to talk about what they were going to do with their time off and before long it was midnight. Jim finally stood up and said, “I’m tired everyone so we’ll see you all in a week.” 

Everyone called out their greetings and wished them well for their trip. Jim was leaning on Blair as they walked to the truck and Blair realized that Jim had a few more beers than he was counting. Jim leaned down and kissed Blair’s cheek and said, “Thank you for being my driver.” 

“It was my pleasure; I know that you’ve been exhausted from using your senses especially for the last three weeks. I wanted you to relax and just have a good time. I had a good time too.” Blair looked around for Conner and saw her waiting by the door. 

“Ready to go, Conner?” 

“Thank you, Sandy. I’m so glad I had some down time. I can’t remember a time when I’ve been so tired or stressed out.” Conner leaned on Blair’s other side so that Blair felt like he was being squished from the two drinkers. 

After getting to the truck, Blair got them buckled in and took off for Conner’s apartment. He looked over to see why they were so quiet and realized they were both sound asleep. Jim was in the middle, leaning against poor Conner, looking like he was crushing her. He chuckled to himself and just kept driving to Conner’s place. Once then, he helped her into the apartment and Jim slept through the entire thing. Blair got behind the wheel and Jim said, “Wake me when we get home, okay?” 

“Duh… Of course I’ll wake you, you’re my blanket.” Blair teased the sleeping man. 

When they drove up to the loft parking lot, Blair parked and went around to the passenger side. He opened the door and saw a wide awake Jim and smiled at him. “Not sleepy anymore?” 

“I rested, now we can get to the fun stuff.” Jim almost fell out of the truck, but Blair caught him and helped him get his footing. 

“Anything special in mind, Jim?” 

Jim smiled over at his lover and said, “Yeah, as a matter of fact, ‘69’ comes to mind. We haven’t done that in a while and I always love it.” 

“You got it, big guy. Let’s get upstairs and get this show on the road.” Blair helped Jim get up the stairs and realized that Jim wasn’t as drunk as he was tired. “Hey Jim, could we have a rain check on the ‘69’? I’m sort of tired and I want it to be great.” 

A relieved Jim answered, “Okay, sounds good to me. We’ll wake up to it in the morning and then we’ll pack for our camping trip.” 

“You got it, big guy. Now let’s get to bed so we can rest up for tomorrow.” 

They both got into bed once they were undressed and were asleep within minutes, curled up in each other’s arms. 

@@@ 

Jim was the first one to wake up and relieve himself, followed by Blair. Then they snuggled for a few minutes before Jim flipped into position for a ‘69’. He swallowed Blair’s semi-erect cock quickly making Blair moan with pleasure. Jim knew exactly what Blair liked done to his cock, so Jim proceeded to softly run his teeth over the now rigid member making his partner squirm with need and desire. Blair got back at him by starting to lick Jim’s cock. It was Jim’s turn to moan this time, making Blair feel fantastic with the sound around his cock. 

Both men began to suck on the other one with much want until both of them came down the other’s throat. Jim flipped back around on the bed as soon as he rested up and kissed Blair. 

“Thank you, Chief, this is a perfect way to start the morning.” 

Blair happily kissed his partner back and said, “How about a shower so we can get this camping trip started.” 

“Sounds perfect to me.” Jim got up and began to pack things for their trip while Blair got their clothing for after the shower. 

The shower was exactly that, a shower. No fooling around for these two men because they were on a quest. They were going to have fun if it killed someone. 

They began packing everything they would need for the trip. They took four ice chests, two for ice and drinks and two for keeping their old food so it wouldn’t attract the bears. They packed the cookware, utensils, trash bags and all of the paper plates they had room for. Jim packed one of the coolers with beer and the other with juices and tea. Then they would only have to stop and get ice on the way to the campsite. 

They put everything in the back of the truck and got into the cab. Both men were smiling by this time, knowing what a good time they would have. 

“Guess what I brought, Jim?” 

“What?” 

“I brought our swim suits so we can go swimming every day if we want to. Where are we staying anyhow?” 

“We’re going to the McAdams campsite, because they have showers, bathrooms and an onsite grocery store. I have to have that, Chief.” 

“Works for me…” 

“Do you have any special plans while we’re up there?” Jim asked as he pulled onto the highway. 

“Well, I brought a journal and a book, but I’m hoping that you’ll keep me busy enough where I won’t have time for either.” Blair teased his lover. 

“And you’re sure that camping is what you wanted to do for a week?” Jim asked again. 

“Yup, I can’t wait to get this trip started. Well, officially we are started, aren’t we?” Blair smiled and held Jim’s hand for a moment. Blair loved these little moments where they were allowed public displays of affection. Everyone knew about them at Major Crime, but they didn’t touch or give special looks at any time. 

“I love when you hold my hand.” Jim said quietly. 

“It’s funny that you said that because I was just thinking about it just now. We don’t get to touch much when we’re away from the loft. Does that bother you?” Blair decided to kill some time with talking, as usual. 

“No, it doesn’t bother me because honestly, I don’t care to watch het couples making out in public either. So, we just have to learn how to do it discreetly and when.” 

“Do you want to hear some cute jokes that Conner told me yesterday?” Blair was still trying to pass the time. 

Jim smiled at his love and said, “Hit me.” 

“If you're going to make a parachute jump, at least how high should you be?” Blair asked. 

“I give, how high?” 

Blair almost laughed as he said, “Three days of steady drinking should do it.” 

Both men started laughing and Jim realized that this is just what they needed. Some time alone and laughing, lots and lots of laughing. 

“Do female frogs croak?” Blair asked. 

“I can’t wait to hear this one.” Jim replied. 

“If you hold their little heads under water long enough.” Both men started laughing very hard with this one. 

“Chief, does Conner tell you these jokes all the time?” 

“Almost every day she has a new one. She’s quite funny if you just wait for the punch lines. Do you want to hear anymore of them?” 

“Sure, it’ll pass the time more quickly.” 

“According to Cosmo, if you meet a stranger at a party and you think that he is attractive, is it okay to come out and ask him if he's married?” 

“Of course it would be all right.” Jim answered snickering already. 

“No, wait until morning.” Blair answered and burst out laughing. 

“Do you mean to tell me that Conner would wait until morning to find out if the guy was married?” 

“Jim, what part of this is a joke, didn’t you understand?” Blair punched Jim’s arm softly in jest and smiled again. 

“Which of your five senses tends to diminish as you get older?” 

“I have no idea.” Jim said loving the jokes. 

“My sense of decency.” Blair responded. 

“Keep them coming, Blair.” 

“What are "Do It," "I Can Help," and "I Can't Get Enough?” Blair asked. 

“Hit me, hot shot.” 

“I don't know, but it's coming from the next apartment.” Blair said as both men started laughing so hard that they could hardly breathe. 

“How do you get any work done with her telling these jokes?” Jim wondered aloud. 

“Well, she doesn’t always tell jokes, she just sometimes does. Sometimes she’s not in the mood for laughing or high jinx.” 

“Not to change the subject, but do you think I’m losing my hair quicker than usual these days?” Jim inquired. 

“Nah, it’s the same as usual. Don’t worry about it so much. Have Rafe and Brown been teasing you again?” 

“As a matter of fact, they have been.” Jim leaned over quickly and gave Blair a quick kiss and then continued driving. 

Blair moved over closer to Jim and said, “I love when you kiss me in public.” 

“We can’t always do it, you understand that right?” 

Blair then put his arm over Jim’s shoulder and answered, “Of course I know we can’t always do it. But we’re on the highway moving and no one is around so I’m going to nibble on your neck.” He proceeded to lick and suck on Jim’s neck making Jim squirm. 

“Knock it off Chief, I can’t drive when you’re doing that.” 

“Why not?” Blair asked innocently. 

“Because you make me want to pull over to the side of the road and pound your ass.” 

“Now is that beat my ass or something else?” Blair was laughing out loud and moving away from Jim now. He knew he was going to be in trouble. 

“You know I would never beat you but I would, however, fuck you senseless.” Jim reached over and pulled Blair back to his side. 

“You like me sitting close to you, man?” 

“Duh.” 

“That’s nice to know, man. I love sitting by you too.” Blair was getting antsy and Jim knew they would have to stop soon to let the younger man stretch his legs. 

“We have about one more hour until we get to the campsite, do you want to stop somewhere and get something to eat?” 

“No, I want to get the tent set up and get everything ready. Plus, we have to stop at the grocery and get ice for the chests. I’m set for fishing and swimming.” Blair was bouncing in the seat by this time. 

“Who do you suppose will catch the most fish, Blair?” 

Blair looked over at Jim and smiled as he said, “Who do you think, you big loser.” 

“Really nice calling your lover a loser while on vacation.” Jim teased. 

“Who catches the most fish every time we go fishing? Come on, man, who does? Be honest with yourself.” 

Jim couldn’t believe he was going to have to admit to it again, but he knew he had to. “Of course it’s you. The fish like you better.” 

“Do you suppose it’s my curly hair?” 

“I think it might be your earring shining off the water.” Jim explained. 

“You honestly believe that my earring is going to attract more fish? Give me a break. You are so full of crap.” 

“It would make you think that I would catch the most fish, but they aren’t attracted to crap.” Both men started laughing again. 

Blair kissed Jim’s cheek and softly said, “We really needed this, didn’t we? It’s been a tough three months.” 

“I felt like we were never going to catch him at times and it was discouraging.” Jim added as he kissed Blair back. 

“And sometimes, I felt like everyone else was putting undue pressure on us to get the guy for good.” 

“You’re right, Chief. They act like we’re super cops sometimes, especially when they can’t find out anything either.” 

“Do you suppose that Simon would let us take another week off in July or August?” Blair asked. 

“Sure, why not? Where are we going, boss?” Jim teased good heartedly. 

“Naomi wants to meet us at a cabin in Seattle for a week of boating, fishing and swimming. I can’t wait to go. That is if you want to go. She wants us to bring along as many people as we can because she’s going to have a six bedroom house rented.” 

“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” Jim wondered if Blair was afraid to ask him about the trip earlier. 

“We’ve been busy, man and I didn’t want you to have to worry about anything.” Blair rubbed Jim’s thigh and sighed. 

“You can tell me anything, anytime, so next time, don’t keep it from me. Share your news anytime you have some to tell me.” Jim pulled Blair even closer to him and hugged him. 

“Okay, I’ll do that.” Blair kissed Jim on the neck again and Jim teased him. “I can’t drive when you’re doing that. What do you think about asking Simon to go with us to Seattle?” 

“That would be great. He likes Naomi a little bit, I think.” Blair was actually just guessing. 

Jim laughed and said, “Blair, everyone likes Naomi. She’s nuts, but fun.” 

“So you think that sounds like fun?” Jim hated when Blair was insecure. 

Jim hugged him again and said, “Plan it and we’ll get the time off. If Simon can go great, if he can’t, we’ll go alone. We’ll have fun, Blair.” 

The drive was lovely and it made the time go by more quickly. Jim kept pointing things out to Blair that he could see and that Blair couldn’t. Blair kept calling him a Sentinel tease. 

@@@ 

When they drove up to the grocery store, Jim jumped out to get ice, but Blair followed him in. 

Jim grabbed four bags of ice and threw them on the counter. The woman smiled and said, “That’ll be $6.00, please.” 

Jim was shocked at how much ice had gone up but he paid for it without complaining. He didn’t want to ruin Blair’s trip. After he paid, he took two bags and Blair took two bags and they went out to the back of the truck. Jim put his ice in the beer cooler first thing and then took the other bags and put them in the tea and juice cooler. When they were done, they almost raced to the front and jumped into the pickup. 

Jim laughed and said, “Do you think we’re excited about this trip?” 

Blair laughed and answered, “Oh yeah, this is just what we needed. What will we do first, man?” 

Jim rolled down his window and talked to the Ranger and asked where they should go. The Ranger pointed out the spot that would be close enough to fishing, swimming and bathrooms. The boys were humming with excitement. 

Jim parked the truck and they got out and began the hard part. They unloaded everything and then put the tent up. Then Jim blew up the air mattress, it was a king sized one that he never went camping without. They got everything set up inside the tent, including the bed being made and Jim said, “Fishing first?” 

“Sounds good to me, man.” Blair grabbed their fishing gear and the two men walked down to the shore. 

 

Jim brought their chairs and unfolded them and they both sat down and began to bait the hooks. Before long both men threw in their lines. It wasn’t but about fifteen minutes and Blair got a bite. Jim growled with frustration because this always happened. 

“I got one, Jim. I got one.” Jim reeled it in and Jim got the first look of the fish they would be having for dinner. It was about 1 ½ pounds at least. It was enough to feed both of them for the evening, so Jim pulled his line out of the water. 

“What are you doing, giving up already?” Blair teased. 

“No, I just don’t think we need to waste any fish. Two fish would be too much, that’s a big one you got there, Blair.” 

“Fish, or something else?” Blair asked. 

Jim laughed heartily and said, “I’ll show you something else when we get up to the tent.” 

Blair handed him the fish to clean and said, “Promises, promises.” 

“Okay, you got us dinner, now what do we do?” Jim asked seriously. 

“We’ll make this up for lunch and catch another one for dinner. I feel lucky.” Blair was on a roll. 

As Jim cut and gutted the fish Blair realized how great it was being with a Sentinel. He could see all of the bones and always knew exactly where to cut and clean them. “What are you going to do with the fish for lunch?” Jim asked as he finished cleaning their lunch. 

“I brought Cajun and lemon pepper, so it’s your choice. What do you prefer?” 

Jim thought a minute as he put the fish in the container they had brought down for their catch and said, “I think I would like Cajun for lunch and lemon pepper for dinner. How’s that, Chief.” 

“Good, we’ll have black beans and rice with it. Let’s head up there, I’m hungry.” Blair helped Jim get everything together and they walked slowly back to their camp site. 

Jim got the stove out and all of the pots and pans they would need. Blair got the water and everything they would need for the rice and beans. Jim sat back in his chair and watched Blair make dinner and it made him smile just thinking about how great his life was. He was in love with the best man in the world and Blair loved him back. Life couldn’t get much better than that. 

Lunch cooked fairly quickly and the men ate while just taking in nature as they looked around. 

Once lunch was done, they cleaned everything up, took the pans down to the bathroom and washed them there and went back and got all of the leftover food put into the airtight cooler. No bears were going to be bothering these two men. 

“So what do you want to do now, Jim?” Blair asked, hoping they could go on a hike. 

“Why don’t you tell me what you would like to do instead of asking me? I can tell that you have something in mind.” 

“How about a hike, Jim?” 

“Sounds great to me. Let’s take our compass and zip up the tent. Want to take a water or juice with us?” Jim asked. 

“Yeah, grab us each a juice and water and we’ll go on a good hike. Let’s get started.” Blair was anxious to start. 

They hiked for over two hours and ended up back in the right place. Things were going well for both of them. 

“How about a small nap?” Jim asked as they sat down in the chairs in front of the tent. 

“A nap would be okay.” Blair wiggled his eyebrows and smiled. 

“I mean a real nap.” Jim grumbled. There was nothing worse than a sleepy, grouchy Sentinel. 

“Fine, sleep, I’m going to read.” Blair sat in the third room of the tent and Jim climbed in the part with the air bed. He tried to slip into a sound sleep but he couldn’t get Blair out of his mind. 

He didn’t like arguing with Blair and he knew that Blair wouldn’t be reading, he would be in there thinking about how to fix it. Finally Jim said, “Chief, come in here, I need to talk to you.” 

Blair crawled into the third room and laid next to Jim and said, “What’s up, man?” 

“I don’t like when we argue, so what do you want to do?” Jim kissed Blair’s lips softly. 

“I like what you’re doing right now.” Blair kissed him back and pulled the shade down on the window of the room they were in. 

“We should wait for nighttime, don’t you think?” Jim asked worried about someone stumbling by and finding them fucking. 

“Yes, I agree, but I want to make-out with you for awhile before we nap.” Blair suggested. 

“That I can do.” Jim began to kiss his partner with such passion that Blair didn’t think he’d make it until that night. 

“Keep kissing me like that and you’re going to have to clean my jeans.” Blair warned. 

Jim pulled him over on top of him and said, “There’s no one around so why don’t we just fool around a little bit. He pushed Blair’s ass down so that their cocks were rubbing against each other. 

“Less clothing. Less… Agh… Just like that, Jim. I love when you touch me.” Jim unzipped Blair’s jeans and started pulling them off his Guide and Blair was pulling on Jim’s at the same time. Before long they were both naked and Jim brought him back to the same position as when they started. Both of their cocks were glistening with pre-come and making the ride much smoother than you would think. Jim slid one of his fingers into his mouth and got it good and slick as he then pushed said finger into Blair’s anus. Blair began to hump Jim’s cock harder and harder and Jim pushed his finger in and out of Blair’s sweet ass. Before long Blair whispered, “I’m so close, babe.” And Jim touched Blair’s prostate and Blair came with a low moan. Jim followed right after him. Both men had been super quiet, but no less fun. 

After they rested for about twenty minutes, Jim cleaned them off with a wipe and started to get dressed. Blair stopped him and said, “How about a nice relaxing swim?” 

“That sounds great, Chief. That would be perfect.” They both got their trunks on and walked down to the lake. It was so beautiful that it about took both of their breath away. 

“Jim, I had forgotten how nice this campsite was. Have you been planning this for awhile?” Blair asked as they took their shoes off to get in the water. 

“Yeah, I knew this last case was horrible and we needed to do something so I was hoping that you wouldn’t mind coming up here.” Jim explained. 

“It was a great idea, man. I’m glad you wanted to come here.” 

Jim got into the water and said, “Holy shit.” 

“Is it that cold because if it is, I’m not going in?” Blair asked. 

“It’s not bad once you get used to it. But the first shock is a doozie. Come on in, the water’s fine.” Jim licked his lips and watched his lover think about it. 

“I’ve heard that somewhere before and it’s not always true.” Blair said as he got into the water. “Arggggggggg.” Blair screamed out scaring most of the birds that were there near the water. 

Jim pulled Blair over towards him and hugged him. “I love you, Blair.” 

Blair looked at Jim to see what brought that on but realized that Jim was just enjoying the moment. “I love you, too, Jim.” 

“This was a great idea.” Blair said as he began to swim to warm up. 

@@@ 

In Major Crime: 

Conner asked Joel, “Do you think that Ellison would loan out that three room tent he has?” 

“I doubt it. He swears it’s like a house.” Joel said smiling. 

“I wonder what they’re doing right now?” she asked. 

“Jim hated even talking about the damn case. He told me it left a foul taste in his mouth. So anything that isn’t the case, would be good for Ellison.” Joel answered truthfully. 

“I would love to go camping because I think you could totally relax while you were there. Don’t you think, Joel?” 

“I agree, Conner. I think I might go camping too.” 

Rafe and Brown walked up and Rafe said, “Wow, do you notice how slow things got all of a sudden?” 

Brown teased and said, “Maybe it’s something to do with Ellison and Sandburg. They tend to bring out the nuts, I think.” 

Simon walked out of his office and said, “Does no one have anything to do, because I could find something for everyone to do.” He chomped on his unlit cigar and watched them all scatter in different directions. I still got it. 

Work returned to normal and Simon was looking forward to when he could take Daryl for a camping trip. Jim and Blair had a wonderful idea when they came up with that trip. 

@@@ 

After swimming they changed in the tent and went back down to the lake side for more fishing. 

They both sat there for a while before they baited their hooks. “Chief, I’m having a wonderful time.” 

“Me too, man. This was a great idea. Now how about some dinner?” 

“Yeah, we worked off lunch a long time ago, didn’t we?” Jim asked humorously. 

They baited their hooks and threw the lines in and it wasn’t but another twenty minutes and Blair caught another fish. This time it was a little smaller than the other one, so Jim hoped he would catch a larger one. Jim was starving. Blair laid his fish on the ground as it flipped around and got his hook ready for the next fish. He hoped he could get another one a little bigger. But this time it was Jim’s turn. He caught a much larger fish and Blair was tickled for him, because he didn’t want him to think he wasn’t a good fisherman. Jim took both fish, cutting and gutting them and got them all ready for Blair to cook them. That was always the arrangement, he cleaned them and Blair cooked them. “Lemon pepper tonight, right?” 

“That’s right, Jim. We’ll have a nice pasta with it along with corn. Does that sound all right? Blair asked as he started to get ready to go back to the campsite. 

Blair cooked a wonderful meal and they ate quietly, because both men didn’t want to ruin the night with any talk. It was a perfect evening. Once they had cleaned up and put all the trash away, Jim looked at Blair and said, “Do you have any more of those Conner jokes?” 

“I was hoping we could just watch the sunset, it’s beautiful tonight.” Blair always had better ideas. 

Without any warning Blair started with the jokes anyway. “Do you know why bikers wear leather?” 

“No, why?” 

“Because chiffon wrinkles too easily.” Jim burst out laughing and said, “That was bad, Blair, really bad.” 

Blair figured that he should tell a couple more jokes. 

“It is considered in bad taste to discuss two subjects at nudist camps. One is politics, what is the other?” 

“I have no idea.” Jim answered. 

“Tape measures.” Blair started snickering and loved watching the sunset with his lover wearing a big smile. 

“You’re cracking me up, Blair.” Jim was loving this as much as Blair was. 

“When you pat a dog on its head he will wag his tail. What will a goose do?” 

“No clue.” Jim said laughing. 

“Make him bark?” Both men burst out laughing. 

Both men were on the ground laughing their asses off and Blair said, “Want to go inside and talk about the first thing that pops up?” 

“Sounds good to me.” Jim followed Blair into the sleeping room of their tent. 

They both stripped and slid into the bed, kissing as they went. “Blair, did you remember lube and condoms?” 

“Do I look forgetful? I think not.” Blair pulled out the bag with condoms, lube and wipes. 

“I think you were a boy scout, Blair.” 

Very quietly and quickly Jim and Blair made love in the tent. Some more campers had moved in next to them, so they didn’t want to attract negative attention. After they cleaned up, they snuggled up together and slept for the night. It was a perfect evening. 

Blair woke in the middle of the night to Jim, groaning in his sleep. Blair figured it was a bad dream; they were all going to have them for some time after the Benini case. Blair rubbed Jim’s chest and talked soothingly to the larger man and finally Jim slept well once again. 

This is how the first three days went, fishing, eating, hiking and swimming. Both men were having a ball, but something seemed to be missing now and then. 

“Hey Jim, do you miss the gang?” Blair finally realized he missed everyone. 

“Yeah, every now and then. But I wouldn’t tell them about it.” Jim teased. 

They were sitting down by the lake rubbing sunscreen on each other, when Jim smelled Simon’s cigar. “Simon’s here, Chief.” 

“What do you mean he’s here? Do you suppose something went wrong with the case?” Blair was beginning to worry already. 

“No, I don’t think so. I hear Conner, Rafe, Joel and Brown with him too and they’re laughing about sneaking up on us.” 

“Maybe they missed us too.” Blair suggested. 

Jim decided to catch them before they snuck up on them. “Didn’t you guys have some work to do back at the station?” 

Brown laughed as he came around the bend carrying a chair and some drinks. “Hope you don’t mind some company. We all got the day off, so decided to come up and see who could catch the most fish. We won’t keep them, we’ll release them as soon as someone keeps track.” 

Blair spoke up first, “Hi H, glad you could come. This is a great camping spot and that tent we have is wonderful.” 

Rafe, Conner, Joel and Simon walked around the bend just moments after that and Simon said, “We had the day off and we thought fishing sounded good. We all had our license, so we decided to come up and bug you two.” 

“It’s good to see you all.” Jim really was glad to see them. They had been up there for four days and he did miss them. 

“How about some fishing?” Conner said plopping her chair down and sitting next to Blair. 

Rafe chimed in, “We’re just doing the catch and release because we’re not staying that long.” 

“How come? We have a three room tent, we could all fit.” Blair laughed when he saw Jim’s horrified expression on his face. 

Everyone else laughed along with him and finally Simon said, “Nope, just here for the fishing.” 

“Conner, Blair told me some of the jokes you told him the other day and they were pretty funny.” Jim was talking while he baited his hook and threw it into the lake. 

“Well, it’s not like I made them up. I read them somewhere and remembered some of them, so I decided to share them with Sandy.” Conner was baiting her own hook and impressing the hell out of Ellison. 

“How long have you been baiting your own hooks?” Simon asked. 

“Since I was about four or five years old. I’ve been fishing for a long time. Not too long, I’m still young, after all.” Conner made them all smile. 

Rafe was sitting there baiting his hook when he asked, “Is anyone having nightmares?” 

“I am.” Jim replied quickly. 

“I am too.” Joel said quietly. 

Simon looked at all of his men and Conner and said, “Starting Monday, I want everyone to see the department shrink. I didn’t think you needed it, and they didn’t either, but I guess we were wrong.” 

“I think I need it too.” Brown said hanging his head. 

“There’s nothing to be ashamed of, Brown, we all felt awful losing that 16 year old girl. And what that monster did to her is unbelievable. It’s hard for us to think in the same terms as a monster, so don’t feel bad about having nightmares or thinking about that poor little girl all the time. I know I do.” Simon was speaking like the true leader of the group. 

Blair finally said, “I say we fish and talk about good things. What’s going on now?” 

“Sandy, do you remember that woman who came in last week to report her purse stolen?” Conner asked. 

“Yeah, she seemed like a nice woman.” Blair answered. 

“Well, she came in yesterday looking for you and wanted to know if she could have your phone number.” Conner was almost laughing when she watched Jim’s face cloud over. 

“So did you give it to her?” Brown asked laughing. 

“No, I told her he was married, I figured that was easier than explaining.” Conner started to laugh. 

“Jim, she was like a child.” Blair said, trying to make Jim understand. 

“Ellison, she was about 26 and she was no child.” Rafe said laughing. 

“Shut up, all of you. I know he wasn’t interested in her. So just stop trying to cause problems.” Jim bellowed. 

Conner said, “Rafe, I gave her your name and number. She thought you looked fine too.” 

“Are you kidding? That would be great.” Rafe answered looking very pleased with himself. 

“Yes, I was kidding. I don’t give out numbers at the station.” Conner said laughing and everyone else laughed along with her. 

“Very funny.” Rafe said, but he was laughing too. 

Jim said, “What else has been going on?” 

“Funny you should ask that because two of the forms you finished filling out don’t have your signature on it. I need them signed before we leave today.” Simon said. 

Brown clapped Jim on the back and said, “See, you even make mistakes sometimes.” 

“I make mistakes all of the time, you just aren’t paying attention.” Jim teased Brown back. 

Joel said, “Jim, your snitch called and asked if I knew where you were. I told him that I was seeing you this week and he said he had some info on someone named Minster. Do you know what that means?” 

“Yeah, that means that he’s coming through with some good stuff. Chief, we might have to go back early because this is probably good info. We need to find Minster and get him behind bars. Do you mind leaving early?” Jim hated to ask, but knew this was important. 

“No, we can leave when everyone else does, but Simon, do we still have a few days off?” Blair was always one step ahead of Simon Banks. 

“Yes, find out what your snitch says and then take the last three days at home. Maybe we’ll all come over and play poker on Saturday.” Simon liked that idea a lot. 

“Oh poker, I love the poker games.” Conner chimed in. 

“Who doesn’t love losing everything to wonderboy Sandburg?” Rafe griped. 

“So don’t come if you don’t want to play with the big boys.” Blair snapped back at him. 

“I was kidding, Sandburg.” Rafe said calmly. 

“So was I.” Blair replied and slugged Rafe in the arm. 

They all sat and fished and talked and laughed until it was time to go. When that time came they all hated to leave, including Jim and Blair. This had been the trip they needed for a long while and now it had come to an end. Everyone was sad about it. 

Everyone helped Jim and Blair get everything packed, taken down and put into the back of the truck. Then they all cleaned up everything that had to go into the trash bins. Before long, they were all in their vehicles and heading back to real life. None of them wanted to, but knew that someone had to. 

As they were driving along, Blair asked Jim, “So what do you think he has to tell you about Minster?” 

“I don’t have a clue, but he wouldn’t have called Joel unless it was important and he knew he could get some big money for it. I gave him Joel’s name ages ago for emergencies and it must be something good.” Jim looked over at his very tan partner and smiled. “You got quite the suntan while we were there, didn’t you?” 

“So did you. We both needed to get some color on our bodies, so that’s good.” Blair agreed. 

“Minster is such an ass; I can’t wait to get something on him so we can lock him up. He has a stable full of girls and men and no one will testify against him. I can’t wait to find out if we’ll have someone to testify against him. God, we can only hope.” Jim explained. 

“Yes, we can only hope. But once that’s done, we still have a few days off. I want you to see the shrink while we’re off because you’re having nightmares.” 

“I am?” Jim asked. “I woke you up?” 

“Yes, and not that I mind having to calm you down, but I worry about what’s going on in your head.” Blair was actually quite worried. 

“Okay, I’ll see the shrink while we’re off and see if he can help me. I’ll try to get in control, Chief.” 

“Stop worrying about control and worry more about how it wasn’t your fault.” Blair said passionately. 

“I just feel like if I would have found something sooner, we could have found that young lady alive. He left clues and I missed them.” Jim was suddenly very upset. 

“Jim, you’re not Superman, you’re a normal man who does miss things now and then. We were under a ton of pressure. Everyone missed the clues; it wasn’t just you, so stop taking it all on yourself.” Blair was about to start ranting. 

Blair knew how this would stick in Jim’s head and he would blame himself for the rest of his life. His only hope was that the shrink would be able to help him through it. 

“I’ll try and let go of some of the anger, Blair. I promise.” 

As soon as they arrived at the loft, they unloaded everything and got everything cleaned and put away. Both men felt bad about having to come back, but knew that this next case might be a good one and it was important. 

Blair pulled Jim into his arms and kissed him longingly. It was just what Jim needed. When he pulled away he said, “God, I love you, Blair.” 

“And I love you, Jim. We still have three days to be alone together, well other than poker night, so let’s get this business over with and get back here.” Blair was pushing Jim to the front door. “You’re sort of pushy, aren’t you?” Jim teased as he walked out the door with his love. 

Jim picked up his cell phone and called Bennie, his newest snitch. “Hi Bennie, I heard you have some news for me.” 

Bennie answered, “I have someone that wants to testify against Minster and she has no family that Minster can threaten to keep her from testifying. Do you want to meet with her? She’s hidden right now and I’ll only give the address to you in person.” 

“Where do you want to meet?” Jim asked. 

“Starbucks, you’re going to buy me a good cup of coffee and this information is worth one hundred bucks, Ellison, so take it or leave it.” Bennie wanted Jim to know exactly where he stood. 

“I’ll be at the downtown Starbucks in about ten minutes. I’ll see you there. I’ll give you what you want if it’s good info.” Jim warned. 

“It’s good, she’s scared to death. Every one of his people is looking for her, so hurry up.” Bennie hung up his phone and walked towards Starbucks. 

Jim and Blair pulled up in front of the Starbucks and parked. Jim made sure he had enough money to pay if it turned out to be a good score. 

 

When they walked in they saw no one but Bennie. Jim walked over and sat down next to him and said, “What do you want?” 

“Tell Sherry that I want the regular and you and Sandburg do too.” Bennie ordered. 

Jim wasn’t wild about the game, but he went up to the only girl there and said, “We’ll all three take Bennie’s regular.” He paid and the girl got busy making their coffee. 

When she brought it to Jim, she said, “I take it you’re Detective Ellison?” 

Jim looked surprised as he answered, “Yes, and you would be the one that’s in trouble?” 

“Yes… I’ve been staying here at night, since the manager doesn’t check, and Minster’s people haven’t looked here. They never expected me to get a real job, plus they don’t come down this far.” 

“Is your name really Sherry?” Jim asked. 

“Yes, it’s Sherry Willis. I’m fifteen years old and yes, I know I look a lot older. I would like to be put in a safe house and testify against that monster. He’s abused me for as long as I could stand it.” 

“Well Sherry, I’m Jim Ellison and it’s glad to meet you. Would you like to come with us right now? We’ll get you set up in a safe house as soon as possible, and you’ll be safe with us.” Jim was trying to make her comfortable. 

“I have someone in the back that is going to take over for me so I can leave right now. Wanda, I’m leaving now. Thank you for doing this for me.” Shelly took off her hat and apron and walked around the counter. 

Blair walked up to her and said, “You must be Sherry? I’m Blair Sandburg, Jim’s partner.” They shook hands and she was instantly comfortable with Blair. 

Jim walked over to Bennie and shook his hand, while sliding the one hundred bucks to him at the same time. He didn’t want anyone to see it and they didn’t. “Thanks, Bennie. This is going to help a lot.” 

They got to the truck and Sherry got in the middle of Jim and Blair. Jim took off for the station and asked, “So what are you willing to testify to?” 

“We had to rob our clients or face the wrath of Minster every night. He beat us daily and he raped me at least twice a week. I know you won’t think that’s a big thing since I’m a hooker, but I didn’t ask to be with him, I had no choice.” 

“Do you have any of the client’s names?” Blair asked. 

“Yes, I kept track in my mind; I have a very good memory. I wrote them down on this tablet for you to check into. They probably won’t admit to being with me because I’m a minor, but you could try.” Sherry suggested. 

Jim knew that the FBI would make good use of those names and probably get someone else to testify also. 

Jim and Blair both couldn’t get over how old she seemed. It was very sad and to find out she had no family made it even worse. 

“We’re going to hand you over to our boss who will work with the FBI on this case and you’ll be in a safe house. We won’t see you after today, but you’ll be just fine.” Jim said calmly. 

“Anything is better than being afraid day and night. Thank you for giving me a break.” Sherry said almost crying. 

The men took her to the precinct and Simon was waiting for them with the FBI. They took over the case and Sherry went with them willingly. She looked over her shoulder at Jim and Blair and gave them a sad smile, but a smile none-the-less. They felt like she might have a chance at life now. 

Blair was the first to speak when they got down to the truck again. “I think she might have the first break she’s ever had in her life, what do you think?” 

“I think she’ll be all right. She might get to live like a fifteen year old should live and you can’t ask for more than that. I feel pretty good about it.” Jim did feel like they had done a good thing. 

The drive home was very quiet and finally Jim broke the silence. “I love you, Blair.” 

“And I love you, Jim. Any plans for tonight?” 

“How about a movie and dinner at Simoni’s?” Jim asked knowing what the answer would be. 

“That would be great. Another day away from the station and just the two of us. I can’t ask for anything more.” 

“Then tonight I’m going to show you just how much you mean to me.” Jim said playfully. 

“Oh that’s great, man. I can’t wait. In fact, let’s forget about going out and just do dinner and a movie at the loft.” Blair suggested. 

“I like the sounds of that even better. Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup work for me, how about you?” Jim asked. 

“Perfect, I love both of them. Then we’ll watch Lord of The Rings, Fellowship of the Ring. I love that movie and besides it makes me hot to watch all of those elves.” Blair laughed as Jim turned to him and stuck out his tongue. 

“Let’s call everyone tonight to tell them about the poker game on Saturday night. We’ll make a list of things they can bring and we’ll make a fun night out of it. Is that all right with you?” 

“Anything you want to do is all right with me, Jim. I’ll call tonight while you make dinner. Tonight is going to be a great night, just wait and see.” 

Jim smiled over at his love and knew he was exactly right. Everything about the two of them worked. And Jim wasn’t going to complain about that a bit. 

Life was good.


End file.
